


your bravery makes my heart sing

by ariya167



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Femslash February 2018, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 19:30:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13724457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariya167/pseuds/ariya167
Summary: For the Femslash February prompt 'Tears'.





	your bravery makes my heart sing

Suki jerked awake, gasping for breath. The nightmare played behind her eyes-the screech of metal against metal, the night sky glowing with comet-fire, the blood pounding in her ears. Someone was saying her name, tugging at her arm, but it wasn’t until her vision cleared that she realized it was Ty Lee. 

“What happened?” Ty Lee asked gently, pulling Suki into her arms, and lighting the lantern next to the bed with her other hand. 

“Just a nightmare,” She managed to get out. Her heart was still thudding painfully in her chest, and she couldn’t get air into her lungs, but it was only a nightmare. She’d be fine soon.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Suki started to shake her head, but then she thought of when Ty Lee first joined the Kyoshi Warriors. She spoke first haltingly, then bravely and unapologetically about what had happened to her, she found bravery within herself. “During the comet, Sokka, Toph, and I were bringing down the Fire Nation airships. But it was taking too long to just hijack each ship, so Sokka came up with a plan.” Suki said.

“We crashed one airship into the other, then jumped across as each one went down into the ocean.” She demonstrated with her hands, pushing one past the other. “It was going so well-I actually thought we’d make it. But then we got split up when the soldiers caught up to us, and I was on another airship. It was crashing into the sea-” 

Her voice broke as she remembered the day, the fear that thudded through her chest and the ugly glint of comet on steel. Ty Lee gently stroked her hair as she recovered her breath, holding her so tightly she thought she’d never let go. 

“I ran as fast as I could to the helm, but the soldiers were still on the ship, and I had to fight through them. But I managed to stop the ship from going down, and swung back around just in time to save Sokka and Toph. They were cornered, and about to fall off the airship, and if it wasn’t for me, they would have-” 

The tears building up behind her eyes finally broke free, and she huddled in Ty Lee’s arms as her body wracked with sobs, until her eyes burned and she had no tears left. 

“Thank you,” She sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. 

“Of course,” Ty Lee said, taking Suki’s hand in her own. She hesitated, biting her lip, before saying, “I can’t imagine doing what you did. You’re so brave.” 

Suki laughed weakly. “I wasn’t trying to be brave. I just wanted to help, and stay alive.” 

Ty Lee shook her head. “Bravery isn’t fearlessness,” She said fiercely. “Bravery is being scared and doing it anyways. When I stopped Azula-” Her voice tightened, but she squared her shoulders and kept going. “I wasn’t thinking about stopping her, or the war. The only thing in my mind was that Azula had already taken so much from me, and I wasn’t going to let her take Mai too.”

“I thought courage was noble and self-sacrificing, but it’s not. It’s selfish. It’s protecting what you love and never letting go.” 

Without thinking, Suki leaned forward and kissed Ty Lee’s cheek. She blushed, raising a hand to the spot, and Suki grabbed her other hand. 

“Thank you,” She whispered again, and the two fell asleep clutching each other, like they were the only constants in a world gone mad.


End file.
